My Beautiful Rescue
by Savannahbobanna
Summary: Bella is the new girl in Forks. When a scare alerts her to some inexplicable activities, she doesn't know what to do. She soon finds herself in love with somebody who isn't exactly supposed to love her back.
1. Chapter 1

**No, you don't get to know what the relationship is. Read it anyway:D Loves you all!**

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Forks, the rainy excuse of a town I'd sent myself to. I'd throughly convinced my mother that I wanted to go. She didn't believe at first, but after awhile she accepted my lie. I had a feeling she wanted to believe I was going to be happy, just so she would feel better about going to support Phil in Florida. I knew being with Phil made her happy, so I was going to do my time in Forks without any complaints.

Charlie had picked me up in the cruiser at the Port Angeles airport. He was the police chief, and he would proudly flip out his badge if you asked him to. Conversation in the car was minimal, neither of us were big talkers.

Charlie mentioned that he had a surprise waiting for me when we got home. We pulled up to the house, and parked out front was a rusty red, and not to mention old, truck. I fell in love with it instantly. It'd eat up a lot of money for gas, but I had cash to spare because I didn't have to buy a car anymore.

"Where did you get it?" I asked, running my hand across the back. It was raining all over me, but I wanted to look at my truck some more, so it didn't matter.

"Do you remember Billy Black?" asked Charlie.

"Nope." The name didn't sound familiar at all.

"Well, it was his. He's in a wheelchair now, so he can't drive. His son, Jacob, has fixed it up quite a bit," explained Charlie.

"Thanks, Dad," I said, giving him a slightly awkward hug.

"No problem," he replied.

Charlie helped me get my bags into my room, and then left me to unpack. It didn't take long, there were only two bags. All of my clothes fit in four drawers.

After I was finished, I began to feel claustrophobic. The room felt like it was getting smaller, and staring out the window didn't help. The clouds looked like they were sealing me in, forever trapping me inside.

I went downstairs and found Charlie lounging on the couch, watching Sports Center.

"Dad?" I asked. He wasn't too big on letting me call him Charlie.

"Yeah?" He looked startled. Getting used to living with someone would take a little bit of time.

"I'm going to go for a walk," I paused. "If that's okay with you?" I didn't know his stand on the whole asking permission thing.

"Go ahead," he smiled. It didn't matter that it was raining cats and dogs outside, it always was.

I slung my jacket on, and prepped myself for my excursion into the freezing rain.

"Bye," I called.

Unfortunately, I caught the toe of my boot on the door way, and I plunged towards the hard concrete of the front walk. I heard, rather than felt, my head hit the pavement. My stomach dipped, I could smell the blood.

"Oh man." I heard Charlie's voice crack. He heard the sound I made when I fell down.

I couldn't move. The last thing I remembered was Charlie's grunt as he lifted me off of the ground.

When I opened my eyes, a bright light momentarily blinded me.

"I'm glad to see you're awake," said a voice I didn't recognize. It was a man, but the light was too bright for me to focus on his face.

I turned my head to get a better look at his face, and I was instantly dizzy. I slammed my eyes shut.

"Feeling a bit sick, hmm?" asked the man.

"Where am I? Where's Charlie?" I croaked. My head hurt, perhaps the understatement of the year. It felt like I hit myself in the head with a hammer.

"You got quite a bump on the head, so your father brought you into the hospital. You have a concussion, and some bruising. We're going to keep you here for a few hours. He had to get to work, so I told him I'd stay on shift until he got back. I don't have any other patients today, so here I am," he explained.

Oh, a hospital. That's why I was in an uncomfortable bed while a strange man watched me.

"I'm Dr. Cullen, but you can call me Carlisle." His voice was so... alluring.

I willed my eyes open so I could look at his face.

Gold eyes shone down at me, framed by long eyelashes and locks of blond hair. He was pale, almost white. But, I hardly noticed any of that at all... the thing that distracted me was how beautiful he was. It was almost painful to look at him. He was perfect in every sense of the word.

"I'm Bella," I mumbled.

"Well, Bella, because I am technically off duty, and I promised your father I'd keep an eye one you, I'll be here all day." He smiled after he spoke, each tooth sparkled in the light.

"Babysitting, huh?"

"Charlie's a bit new at the whole parenting thing," he grinned.

I closed my eyes again.

"Sore head?" asked Carlisle.

"A bit," I grimaced.

I felt cool hands prod around the base of my neck. My eyes flew open. He had the coldest hands I'd ever felt.

"Sorry. I never can seem to get my hands warm." He smiled, almost like he was thinking about an inside joke.

"We'll get you some medication. Are you opposed to the idea of sleep?" He removed his hands from my head.

"Drug away," I sighed. It was my first day in Forks, my first few hours, even, and I was already familiar with one of the doctors.

Carlisle handed me two pills, much better than a shot in my opinion. Soon, I felt myself begin to drift.

I was shocked into alertness when I heard a loud growl. Almost like an animal was in my hospital room.

My eyes fluttered open just in time to see a devastatingly handsome man, maybe Carlisle's son, with his teeth bared.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Well, nothing to say. Here's the chapter!**

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"Edward!" yelled Carlisle from behind the bronze-haired man. 

The one Carlisle called Edward lunged at me, but Carlisle held him back. It was like Edward moved in fast motion. One minute he was coming towards me, and the next minute he was being restrained by Carlisle.

"Go, Alaska, now," murmured Carlisle. "Take my car."

Edward turned on his heel, abruptly calm, and marched straight out of the room.

My eyes grew wide. My breathing came in strangled gasps. I had no idea what had happened, but it scared me to pieces.

"Bella, are you okay?" asked Carlisle, still standing by the door. He held another bottle of pills in his hand.

I nodded.

"About... Edward," he said reluctantly.

"You don't have to explain if you don't want to," I breathed. I didn't want to be rude and butt into his personal life. There was no way to explain what I'd just seen, but I had a feeling I wasn't supposed to know anything about it.

I was wide awake now, the adrenaline in my veins was forcing my eyes to stay open.

"How's your head?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I'll survive," I replied. I had broken my head open many times before, after all.

A small, almost pixie-like, girl entered the room at that point.

"I saw him go, but I don't know why!"she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. She moved so smoothly, just like Carlisle did. Like Edward, too. It was almost disturbingly graceful.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Alice, I'm with a patient right now," he said calmly.

Her eyes swung to meet mine. Suddenly, she closed her eyes and grabbed her head. She rocked back and forth ever so slightly. I saw Carlisle tense up.

Her eyes flung open. "Oh, Carlisle," she whimpered. "Why... how could you do that?" Without another word, she turned around and ran, a little too quickly, out the door.

Carlisle looked at me, eyes wide. I was beginning to wonder if they put me in the psych ward by mistake. Two strange things had happened in less than five minutes. Maybe Forks was making me crazy.

I heard big, clunking steps coming from the hallway. The only person I knew who could make such a racket while they walked was Charlie.

Sure enough, he appeared in the doorway a second later.

"Hi, Bells," he said, moving to the side of my bed.

"Hey, dad."

"So, how's she's doing?" Charlie asked Carlisle.

"We've decided that she'll survive." He winked slyly at me. "You can take her home right now, as a matter of fact. She'll even be fine to go to school tomorrow, as long as she doesn't mind having a big gash on her head."

Charlie laughed heartily.

Once I was at home, lying in my bed, the day's strange events hit. I wondered why Carlisle's family had acted so funny. Eventually, I drifted into a dreamless sleep. The rain hitting the window made me too restless to dream.

When my alarm went off in the morning, I groaned. It was going to be a long day.

I dressed for the weather, which was rainy. A heavy long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans were the warmest clothes I had.

I shuffled to the bathroom, toiletries in hand. I examined myself in the mirror. The bright red scratch on my head was easily hidden by my hair, thank goodness. It was bad enough I was the new girl, a big dent in my head would cause my first day to be even more uncomfortable.

I went downstairs after I'd prepared for the day. One bowl of cereal later, I was nice and toasty in my truck. Sure, it sounded like a semi-truck, but there was bound to be a flaw or two with a truck as old as mine.

Forks High School, it was hardly noticeable among the trees that lined the highway. I pulled into the parking lot and searched for a place to park. Only the spaces farthest away from the school were empty.

I huddled as deep into my jacket as I could go when I stepped out of my truck. It was a shame to leave the hot, comfortable cab, but I had to get my schedule from the front office.

I stepped into the warm office building. Behind a tall counter sat a woman who was shuffling papers around her desk. Her head barely reached beyond the counter top. A name plate identified her as Mrs. Cope.

"I'm Isabella Swan, I'm here to pick up my schedule," I said.

"Oh yes, I have it right here." She picked up a paper off of the top of one of the many piles on her desk. "Have a nice day," she said, getting back to her work.

On the back of the sheet was a map. It looked simple enough. My first class was history, building three.

I left the main building, and set out on a search for building three. Soon enough, it popped into view. I saw several other people heading towards the building, and I steered clear of them. I didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to myself.

When I entered, every face in the room turned in my direction. I stumbled to an empty chair in the back. There was a black-haired boy sitting in the chair next to mine.

"Hi, I'm Eric Yorkie," he said. He smiled brightly.

"I'm Bella," I murmured.

"Yeah, Chief Swan's daughter," he commented.

"That's me."

He didn't say anything for the rest of the class, but I saw him steal sidelong glances at me during the whole period.

When the bell rang, he stood up quickly. "Can I walk you to your next class?" he asked.

"Sure," I agreed. At least I wouldn't need the map.

"Where are you headed?"

"Uhm..." I pulled out my schedule. "Building six."

"Great! I'm headed to building four, it's right on the way."

It continued in that same pattern for the rest of the morning. I'd met a boy named Mike, and a girl named Jessica. Both had walked me to a few of my classes. I learned that with Jessica, all I had to do was nod occasionally. I didn't actually have to contribute to the conversation.

When the lunch bell rang, Jessica grabbed my arm. She pulled me to the cafeteria, babbling the entire way.

She opened the door and I gasped. Sitting at a table in the corner was Alice, and she was surrounded by three other painfully beautiful students.

Jessica heard my outburst. "Those are the Cullen's," she explained, leading me to a table. "The one with the short hair is Alice, the blond one next to her is Jasper. Emmett is the big one, Rosalie is the other blond one." She paused. "There's usually another one, Edward is his name."

She continued onto a different conversation with the people at the lunch table when she was finished. I couldn't take my eyes off of the four at the table across the room.

While I was staring, Alice's eyes met mine. She stood up, gracefully of course, and headed towards the table I was sitting at.

My heart skipped a beat. There was no way she was coming to talk to me. All the chatter around me stopped.

Alice came to a halt in front of the table. "Hi, Bella. My name is Alice Cullen. I was wondering if I could speak to you outside, please?"

Everyone there was gaping at me, mouths wide open and everything.

I stood up without a word and followed her outside.

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**You know what to do.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here:)**

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Alice led me to a bench outside. The rain had let up for the time being, but the clouds didn't look like the could contain the drops for long. The bench seat was damp.

"Uhm... what do you need?" I asked. I had no clue why Alice Cullen would want to talk to me.

"I need you to... to try and keep away from Carlisle," she sighed, cutting straight to the point.

"_Why_?" If anything, I should become closer to Carlisle. He was a doctor, after all, and I needed to go to the doctor a lot.

"Well, he's having some... problems. Just please, Bella," she begged. It was certainly strange. Alice, a girl who I had barely met, was begging me to stay away from her father.

"What if I need to go to the hospital? I get hurt a lot."

She sighed. "I trust you, Bella." I had no idea what that had to do with anything. She said it like she knew me. Like she had known me my whole life.

"Okay..." I said. I still didn't know what she was getting at.

"Carlisle and Esme, my mom, are not having the best time getting along lately. That's why I need you to stay away from Carlisle," she said, speaking so fast I could hardly catch the words.

"I still don't get it," I admitted. I didn't know what I had to do with Carlisle's marriage issues.

"Bella," she started, obviously irritated by my lack of understanding. The bell rang. "Just remember what I said," she sighed, standing up and rushing to her next class.

I was confused. What did I have to do with anything? I went to the hospital and now I can't talk to Carlisle? For a second, the thought of talking to him, just to spite Alice, popped into my mind. I buried it deep, not wanting to get on the bad side of Alice. She seemed a lot more intimidating once you were close to her.

I shuffled to my next class. Once I sat down, I let my thoughts wander. If Alice didn't want me to see Carlisle because of marriage problems...

I gasped, interrupting the teachers lecture. He glared at me, then continued. If I had to stay away... maybe Carlisle... No, I refused to believe that he would feel anything for me, especially anything romantic. It must have just been a precautionary measure. I felt silly for even thinking it.

When the bell rang, I didn't remember a single thing that had happened in the class. I couldn't even remember what the class was.

After my next two classes, I rushed to my car. I didn't want to be stopped by any of the Cullen's again. I flung my books on the seat next to me and leaned my head back against the seat. There was something very, very strange about the Cullen family... something that I desperately wanted to know about.

I started the car and drove home. I didn't know how I made it once I was inside the house, I wasn't focusing on the road at all. The things that Alice said were really bugging me. Did she really think that I would be able to steal Carlisle away from his wife? I was only seventeen, after all. Sure, Carlisle looked young, but he was a doctor. That must have meant he was older than he looked. It took a while to get through medical school.

I pulled out my math homework and began to slowly meander my way through the problems. If there was one thing that I had some issues with, it was math.

After I decided I'd let enough time pass, I started making Charlie's dinner. I figured if he was letting me live with him, I might as well cook.

Charlie lumbered in the door just as I was pulling the steak out of the oven.

"Hey, Bells," he called. He insisted on using my nickname from when I was a kid.

"Hi, dad. Dinner's ready," I replied.

He came into the kitchen and took a hearty sniff of the air. "Smells good," he commented.

I set his plate of food down in front of him. "Looks good too."

I smiled. My mom couldn't cook, so I had to learn. Someone had to feed the family, after all.

I sat down with my own plate and for the first few minutes we ate in silence. "How was school?" asked Charlie.

"It was... interesting." I couldn't think of a way to bring up the Cullens without sounding too eager. "I noticed that Dr. Cullen's kids went there."

"Yeah, it's hard not to notice them," replied Charlie.

"It seemed like... like they didn't quite fit in," I noted.

"People in this town," grunted Charlie. He looked so angry all of a sudden that I didn't want to push the issue any further. If Charlie got to riled up, he'd probably yell. Yelling way something I wanted to avoid at all costs.

When dinner was done I did the dishes by hand. How I'd miss the dishwasher back home.

When I finally retired to my room, I was exhausted. The day really had drained it out of me, and it was almost as terrible as I thought it would be. The conversation with Alice was still swimming around in my head. It wasn't going to leave soon either.

It took me ages to fall asleep. It would be forever before I would get used to the sound of the rain on the windows.

Once I finally slipped into a slumber, I dreamed.

I was at school, but there was nobody outside. I got out of my car and walked to my first class. The entire classroom was dark, but there were students sitting at the chairs. I looked to the very back of the class, Edward was sitting there, staring at me hungrily. He got up and stalked towards me.

I was about to scream when I heard a voice behind me.

"Edward," scolded the voice.

I spun around, it was Carlisle.

Edward growled, and kept walking towards me. He looked more animal than man. He glared at me. I could see the hate in his eyes.

"Edward, stop right now," said Carlisle, his voice more firm.

Edward lunged towards me.

I shot straight up in my bed, my heart beating a thousand miles an hour. I needed to know what was going on with the Cullen family, and I needed to know it soon.

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**Review? Yes please :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Guess what! I have a betaaa! :D Insanity's Partner, yay! **

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As the weeks drew on, I didn't see Carlisle at all. I did hear about him, however. There was a buzz around town that Carlisle and Esme were having difficulties keeping their marriage on track. It was the juiciest gossip around, fueled by the fact that everyone was excited about Carlisle possibly being up for dibs.

Whenever I saw one of the Cullens, I noticed how much more solemn they were becoming. I could hardly blame them. They were having problems at home, private problems, and everyone knew about them. I'd be pretty sullen if I were them.

Edward came back, but he never so much as looked at me. He gave me even more of a cold shoulder than the rest of them did. It was as though he absolutely loathed me—like he couldn't stand to even glance in my direction. I tried not to dwell on it too much.

Finally, when the curiosity was too much to ignore, I decided to ask Charlie about Carlisle and his wife. I made Charlie's favorite meal, just to butter him up.

"Dad?" I asked in between one of his monstrous bites.

"Yeah? Great food, by the way."

"Thanks." I smiled. "Uhm…what is going on with the Cullens? They don't seem quite as...cheerful as they used to be."

He sighed. If it wasn't for the food, I was sure he would have told me to mind my own business. "Dr. Cullen and his wife are on the brink of a divorce, but this town has blown it all out of proportion. There's been no fighting between them. They are still very good friends."

"Oh," I murmured. From the way that people talked, I thought they were at each other's throats.

I thought about why Esme would want a divorce while I was doing the dishes that night. From what I knew of him, Carlisle seemed like the perfect gentleman. He was quite the looker too. Perhaps something strange was going on behind closed doors.

I should have been paying better attention to the dishes. When I plunged my hand into the soapy water I felt a sharp pain in my hand. I'd sliced a bloody line through the center of my palm. I froze, horror dawning on me, and my panic caused me to pull my hand out of the water to see the blood oozing from the cut.

"Dad!" I called. I had to keep telling myself that it was paint on my hand, not blood. If not I'd definitely faint.

Charlie rushed into the kitchen. When he saw my hand he murmured a string of curse words. "How deep is it?" he asked.

"Deep," I breathed. I was concentrating as hard as I could on not revisiting my dinner.

"I'm taking you to the hospital," he decided.

"Dad," I moaned weakly, trying to protest. I didn't want him to have to haul me all the way to the hospital. Besides, I already felt bad for interrupting the game he was watching. "Can't I just put a big band-aid on it?"

It turned out I couldn't put a big band-aid on it. He would not let me stay home. Charlie was a little prone to overreaction.

Fifteen minutes later, and I was seated in front of Dr. Cullen in a tiny hospital room.

"How long will it be?" I asked.

"Oh, I'd say about an hour. I have to see the bleeding stop before I send you home," answered Carlisle.

I could see Charlie itching to watch the game. "I think I saw a TV in the waiting room, Dad."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked.

"I'll be fine, I promise." He left the room, leaving me alone with Carlisle.

"How's school going?" he asked.

"Oh, okay. It could be going better, but what can you do." I shrugged, a mistake. I moved my hand when I did it, causing my hand to throb. I winced.

Carlisle poured a brown liquid on the gash. "It's a shame to hear that. If I were a high school student I know I'd talk to you as much as I could." He wrapped my hand in gauze.

"But you're not a high school kid," I sighed.

"Still," he said. He didn't take his hand off mine. I felt my heart rate speed up. "How are you adjusting to Forks? A lot different than Phoenix, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah. I don't think I've seen the sun without the clouds blocking it since I got here."

"I know just what you mean. It seems like years since I've been able to enjoy the sun." He laughed, but it quickly became a sigh.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He knew what I was talking about.

He looked into my eyes, his hand never moving off of mine. "It's hard to describe what I'm feeling right now. I'm sad to let one chapter of my life end, especially when it was such a good one... so enjoyable. I can't help but be curious about what's to come, though." His eyes didn't leave mine the entire time he spoke.

"What are you?" I breathed without thinking. "I keep trying to figure it out, but I can't come up with anything."

He paused for a minute, but answered me regardless. "You'll know soon enough, I promise you that."

"How soon is soon?"

"Bella, you have to learn not to be so impatient," he laughed. "You'll know when the time is right. Do you have any guesses?"

I thought about that one. I knew that he was beyond human, his entire family was. There wasn't another reason to explain why they were so... different. There must have been something I was missing, some crucial piece.

"I don't," I sighed.

He peeled the gauze off my hand to check the bleeding. "Seems like you're good to go." 

"Oh," I murmured. I wasn't sure if I was ready to go yet. I knew there were still more questions I wanted to ask him. There was so much about Carlisle, about the entire Cullen family that I wanted to know. When I admitted it to myself, I felt nosy…but it was the truth. 

Carlisle prescribed me some pain killers and told me that I couldn't use the hand until it had mostly healed. 

As I lay on my bed that night I couldn't help but hope that "soon enough" was sooner than it sounded. I was hopelessly addicted to Carlisle, as hard as it was to think about. After all, he was quite a few years older than me. 

I hoped I would sleep without dreams. The one from a few weeks before was still haunting me, and I didn't want Edward to attack me in my sleep. And I certainly didn't want Carlisle to be the one protecting me. Nobody would be hurt because of me.

I'd make sure of it.

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**Review?**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, here is this! :) Lots of thanks to my beta, Insanity's Partner!**

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The next morning while I was enjoying a heaping bowl of cheerios, Charlie decided he wanted to have a talk with me. He sat in his chair across from me, and cleared his throat before speaking.

"So…how are things going at school?"

"They are going fine," I answered, keeping an eye on one of the crunchy little circles in my bowl.

"Really? That's nice." He paused for a moment, before finally cutting to the chase. "There's a dance coming up, you know that, right?"

My spoon fell out of my hand. _So that's where he was going._ "Uhm...actually, I had no idea." I had to pay better attention. If my _dad_ knew there was a dance and I didn't, well, there were some issues with my focusing.

"Oh. Well there is. It's girls' choice. Have your eye on any guys?"

I groaned. "Da-ad." I was trying to sound as much like a teenager as possible, a problem for me sometimes. Maybe if I flung enough of my inner teenage girl at him, he'd drop it.

"Alright, Bella," he sighed. "Just keep me...updated, I guess."

"Okay, Dad."

"Have a good day," He said, getting up from the table.

"Bye."

I heard his boots squeak against the linoleum, and then the front door slamming. I rinsed my bowl in the sink, being careful to avoid anything that would injure me further. It was difficult to rinse with one hand, but I eventually got it.

When I started the truck, I had to drive extra carefully to get to school. Two-handed driving, I was a professional, but one-handed? Not so much. I was amazed when I pulled into the parking lot alive.

I got out and gathered my stuff. I tried to ignore the silver Volvo that had pulled into the spot next to mine. The Cullens were at least civil to other people, but when they were near me, I could practically feel the disdain.

I sloshed my way as quickly as I could towards the building. I thought I was in the clear when I heard Alice call my name from a few feet behind me.

"Bella, hey!" she exclaimed.

I looked at her curiously. She must have noticed.

She sighed, not the action I was expecting. I was thinking she would follow with a nice little warning, perhaps another one about Carlisle. "I just wanted to say... to say sorry. I know we've been a little less than unfriendly to you, and I know that being new doesn't help the situation. I just... I just didn't know what to say to you earlier this year. We just don't know how to deal with... change, I guess. I overreacted and I just want you to know that we don't hate you," she explained. I looked around for the rest of the family, but I couldn't find them.

I didn't know how to reply. "Thanks, Alice, really. That makes me feel a lot better about things."

She looked at my bandaged hand. "I heard what happened, sorry about that."

"Oh, it's no biggie. I'm surprised that it's actually this small of a cut. I'm usually much more clumsy." I blushed after revealing that little bit about me.

"We all have our clumsy days," she laughed. It sounded like bells tinkling, the sweetest sound I'd ever heard.

It was a sharp contrast to the school bell that rang, announcing the start of our classes.

"Well, I'll talk to you later, Bella," she smiled.

"Right, bye," I mumbled. I jogged to my first class, ignoring the slight pain in my hand.

Alice had just apologized, something I would have never expected. It wasn't like she needed to. I didn't have any problems with her; I was just a bit intimidated. I noticed the looks that people gave me, the looks of absolute envy. They wanted Alice to talk to _them, _not me. I wasn't surprised. She was gorgeous, of course. As were all of the Cullens. Painfully gorgeous.

I sat down in my seat, hoping nobody would talk to me. Unfortunately, Eric came in seconds later, taking his usual seat next to me.

"Hi, Bella! I saw you talking to Alice."

"Yep," I sighed. It was going to be a long day.

The class periods droned on. People in every one of my classes said something about Alice talking to me. I was beginning to get a little aggravated. It was amazing how little it would take to cause the school to gossip like fiends. When the bell for lunch rang, I evaded everyone from my usual table. It wasn't like they'd miss me or anything. I wasn't anything but a placeholder at the table.

I entered the cafeteria, but I wasn't even close to being hungry. I looked around, trying to find somewhere to sit that wouldn't draw too much attention to me. I saw the Cullens at the table in the corner. Alice waved me over.

My heart started to race in my chest. I told myself to focus on the ground, just to make sure I didn't trip over anything. Falling would do nothing but bad things for me at that point.

"Have a seat," said Alice when I got to the table. There was only one place to sit. Alice was sitting next to Jasper, Rosalie next to Emmett. There was a spot open between Alice and Edward, so I took that one. I noticed Edward lean away from me a little, but I had grown used to it. He never got close to me when we were next to each other in Biology, so I didn't know why he would now.

"Bella, this is Jasper," said Alice, gesturing to the person beside her. I already knew who they were, of course, but I played along. I waved. He nodded.

"That's Rosalie, Emmett, and that's Edward," she continued, pointing out each of them.

"Hi," I said. All of them had trays of food in front of them, but nobody took a bite.

"So, Bella, you watch sports?" asked Emmett.

I smiled a little. "I can't say I'm a big fan."

Alice laughed. "Oh, I know! The only good part is seeing the guys in tight pants run around!"

I laughed along with her.

"Hey," said Jasper. Alice clamped her mouth shut, but I could see she was struggling to keep a straight face.

"I don't know how they do it. They get all dirty, it's nauseating," said Rosalie. She was cleaning her nails.

"Rose, you spend half the day under the hood of a car, you shouldn't be talking about getting dirty," said Edward, smiling a crooked smile. I had to remind myself to breathe.

She grimaced at him.

"So, Bella, what about shopping?" asked Alice.

"Oh…shopping," I grimaced.

"You don't like shopping?!" Alice gasped, appalled.

"Yeah! One for the anti-shoppers!" exclaimed Emmett.

Jasper and Edward both smiled, saying, "Hallelujah" at the same time.

"You guys are crazy," scoffed Alice. I was smiling, despite being with a group of the most imposing people I had ever met.

When I looked around the lunchroom, everyone had their eyes fixed on the table. A few of them even had their mouths open.

I grinned wider, glad that I had seemed to find a niche in this school. It was simply luck that it happened to be with the most beautiful family I had ever seen.

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**Review? I think so :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Many thanks to Insanity's Partner for being my beta!**

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"Bella!" Alice yelled.

It was lunchtime, three weeks after the Cullens first let me sit with them. It was a regular occurrence now. Only a few people even noticed anymore. I was old hat. There were many other scandalous things happening in Forks for me to be of any news anymore. My tray was rather empty, only an apple and a coke.

I took my usual seat in between Alice and Edward. Everyone greeted me with a friendly hello, as usual.

"How was class?" asked Edward.

"Eh, it was nothing special. Good thing it's Friday." I shrugged. I took a bite of my apple. The Cullens never ate, but I didn't want to question them about it. I thought it would be rude.

"So, have you seen the flyers for the dance?" asked Alice.

I wasn't sure where she was going with her question. "Yes..." I trailed skeptically.

"Do you want to go?" asked Alice. Right as she asked, Edward swung his head to look at her. He looked so betrayed.

"I... I..." I stammered. I could not dance, so why do it in front of the entire school? I'd end up in the ER after two minutes on the dance floor.

"Oh, come on! You know it'll be fun!" pushed Alice.

Jasper took the hint. "Yeah, we'll all be there!"

"And it'd be funny to see you trip," murmured Emmett.

"Shut up," snarled Rosalie.

"Who would I even go with?" I asked. I could not believe that they were trying to convince me to go to a dance.

"Edward, of course," said Alice.

My jaw dropped open. Edward? Yeah, right. Edward peered down at the table. He looked slightly embarrassed. I didn't want to hurt his feelings!

"Okay," I mumbled. I started to play with my apple, not hungry anymore. My heart was beating frantically in my chest.

"Yay!" exclaimed Alice. "We need to get you a dress! How does a trip to Seattle sound?"

I was still breathless from the whole "you're going to a dance" thing, so I agreed. I would need a dress if I was going to a dance, after all.

The bell rang and I got up from the table in a daze. Edward walked beside me, silently keeping pace with me.

"If you don't want to go you don't have to," he said quietly. It was the first time that I saw him disappointed.

"Well, I'll go if you want to, but I just want to warn you...I can't dance. I can dance about as well as I can run a mile, and I can't do that very well, as you might have guessed. Honestly, dancing is one of the most frightening things I can think of at the moment," I said.

To my great relief, he laughed. "It's all in the leading." He smiled his breathtaking smile.

"You're going to have to be one heck of a leader to keep me from falling," I replied.

"You won't fall," he said seriously. His mood changes confused me sometimes.

We reached to door of my class just as the bell rang. "See you later," said Edward, smiling his crooked smile once again.

I entered my class and slid into my seat. My mind was a million miles away from the lesson at that point. I'd be spending the day, maybe even the night, in Seattle with the Cullens. I was excited about the trip. I really enjoyed spending time with them, but I was nervous too. Despite spending most of my free time at school with them, I'd never actually been with them outside of school. It would be our first little outing together.

I was also scared of the whole dance concept. I'd never been to a dance...ever. I'd never been invited to one in Phoenix, and I didn't even notice that there was one in Forks. I didn't know how the whole dance routine worked. Was it dinner, then dance? Dance, and then dinner? Did I get ready on my own? I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I spent the rest of the day contemplating the mechanics of the whole "dance" concept.

Edward caught me after school. I was almost at my truck when I saw him jogging over to me. I stopped and let him catch me.

"Hi," he said, not even breathless.

"Hi," I answered.

"So, Alice wants to pick you up at eight tomorrow morning. We'll spend the night in Seattle and be back sometime tomorrow morning. Does that work?" he asked.

"I'll have to ask Charlie, but if I accidentally leave out that there are boys going he'll probably say 'yes'," I said. I knew that Charlie would agree to the Seattle trip if he thought it was just Alice and Rosalie.

"Great," said Edward. "See you tomorrow morning."

"See you," I replied. He jogged to his sliver Volvo and hopped into the driver's seat. He was out of the parking lot before I was even into my truck.

As I drove home, I couldn't help but become anxious. Dancing was terrifying, not to mention I'd be in heels. Edward better be good at leading, or else I'd end up breaking something.

When I pulled up to the house, Charlie was already home. I got out and prepped myself as I got to the door. Charlie wasn't going to be too happy that his little girl was asked to a dance... or that she agreed to go.

"Dad!" I called as I walked in the door.

"In the kitchen!" he answered.

I walked towards the kitchen, my boots squeaking on the linoleum. Charlie was at the kitchen table, eating a sandwich and reading the newspaper.

"What are you doing home?" He wasn't usually off of work until five or six.

"It was a very slow day. I decided to come home. How was school?" he asked.

I sat in the seat across from him. "It was... interesting."

"What happened?" he asked, not really paying attention.

"Well, I got asked to a dance," I replied. He peeked over the top of his newspaper and pretended not to be too overly interested.

"By who?"

"Edward Cullen." I left out that it was actually his sister that asked. Charlie didn't need to know that part.

"Isn't he a little old for you?"

"He's in my grade, Dad."

"Hmm..." hummed Charlie.

"And his sisters, Alice and Rosalie, want to take me to Seattle to get a dress," I said. It all came out in a rush.

"What?" asked Charlie. I said it too fast. I took a deep breath before I began again.

"Can I go to Seattle with Alice and Rosalie to get a dress tomorrow?" I asked. I crossed my fingers under the table.

He set the paper on the table. "Bella."

"I promise we'll be responsible. We're staying the night in Seattle, so we won't be driving at night. Please?"

Charlie sighed. "Call me when you get there, okay?"

"Thanks, Dad!" I exclaimed. I got up from the table and kissed him on his balding head.

"Well, now, you're welcome," he said, trying not to blush.

I skipped out of the kitchen. This time tomorrow I'd be in Seattle.

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**Ah, the drama is coming :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here ya are!**

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The doorbell rang at exactly noon the next day. I had been antsy all morning. I was sure I had repacked my small bag at least three times.

"Hi, Bella!" Alice chirped after I opened the front door. She was smiling hugely.

"Hi, Alice," I replied. My bag was already over my shoulder, so I didn't have to go inside to grab it. I called a goodbye to Charlie and followed Alice to the car. Rosalie was in the front seat. Edward wasn't in the car at all.

The rain had stopped, and it looked like the sun might actually peek out through the clouds. I smiled. I really did miss the sun. Everything about it screamed home. The sun was much friendlier than the depressing clouds.

Alice opened the back door for me and I climbed in.

"Where is everyone?" I asked. I thought a lot more of us were going, not just Alice and Rosalie. A girls' trip would be nice, though.

"We're picking them up," answered Alice. I didn't understand why they didn't go with us in the first place. "Are you excited?"

"Not exactly. I'm not the best dancer in the world," I sighed. Dancing and I didn't mix.

"I could tell just by the way you walk," murmured Rosalie.

"Rosalie," sighed Alice. Rosalie was always making snide comments. I'd grown used to it.

It was quiet as Alice turned onto a heavily forested lane. I had no idea how she found the turn-off through the wall of trees. As the trees started to thin, a large white house came into view.

It looked like it was very old, but it was extremely well kept. Somebody had taken great care of the house.

Alice pulled to a stop out front. We all got out and entered the house through the large front door. The front room was huge. It must have been more than one room originally. It was furnished in a contemporary style.

"Like it?" Alice asked.

"It's amazing," I replied.

As I spoke, Carlisle and another woman entered the room. I assumed that she was Esme. I knew that they were having problems, but you could really tell when you looked at how they were standing next to each other. Carlisle looked like he was trying to be nice, but Esme wasn't having any of it. Something had thrown a wrench into their relationship.

"Welcome, Bella," said Carlisle, greeting me warmly. "This is Esme." He gestured to her.

"Hello," I smiled. I was determined to be as polite as possible.

"Hi," she said. It sounded like she was holding something back. I got the feeling she didn't like me very much at all. It looked like she had to make an effort to be civil.

Edward and Emmett walked down the stairs, each of them carrying an overnight bag.

"Where's Jasper?" I asked. I was under the impression that he would be joining us on the trip.

"Oh, he has a huge project due Monday. He wanted to get a head start on it," explained Alice. It sounded like a good enough reason to me.

The five of us fit in the Volvo perfectly. Emmett and Rosalie sat up front, Rosalie drove. Alice, Edward, and I squeezed in back. I was squished into the middle.

"I'm so excited!" squealed Alice. It hurt my ears. I wasn't prepared for when she stopped mid-squeal, her face blank.

"Alice?" I asked. I'd only seen her like that once before, the first day I got to Forks.

"We need to turn around," she said. Her mood had changed from happy to somber, all in a few seconds. I was severely confused.

"What's going on?" I asked.

The entire car looked at me, but remained silent. They weren't going to answer me.

"What?" I asked again. I began to feel uncomfortable under their intense scrutiny.

"Tell her," sighed Alice. My stomach knotted.

"Bella... have you noticed that we aren't like other people?" asked Edward. He chose his words carefully.

I had noticed it. They were so different from the rest of the people I knew. There was something... alien about them. I couldn't figure out what it was. I had been going over the possible choices in my head. "Yes," I replied.

"Any theories?"

"Superhero?" I crossed my fingers.

"No," he said, frowning.

"Will you tell me?" I asked.

He took a deep breath and looked to the rest of the family for assurance. They all nodded. Well, all of them except for Rosalie.

"Vampires," he breathed.

My heart sped into overdrive. I was in a car full of _vampires._ My palms felt sweaty... I was nauseous.

"We don't eat people though. We get our nourishment from animals. You have nothing to be afraid of, I promise you," explained Edward, speaking quickly.

My hands were still shaking.

"Bella, you can trust us. You're alive, aren't you?" Edward said, trying to calm me down.

After another minute, my heart slowed to normal. "How are you out in the day time?"

"The sun doesn't hurt us," said Alice. She took my hands in hers. "Please don't be afraid, Bella."

I looked at her and she seemed sincere. "Why do we have to turn around?"

"Alice saw some others coming," answered Edward.

Saw? What was _saw_? "What?" I asked.

"Alice can see the future," clarified Edward.

"It's not always set in stone, but it's pretty useful," said Alice.

"Vampires have superpowers?" It all seemed ridiculous.

"Not exactly. We'll have Carlisle explain it all to you when we get home. You might want to consider staying at our house tonight. I don't think you'd want Charlie to ask questions," said Edward. "You can go home if you really want to, but I would advise you otherwise."

"I'll stay at your house," I said.

The rest of the drive home was silent. I wasn't surprised that they weren't human, I just wasn't expecting _vampire. _There had always been something slightly off about the Cullens.

When Rosalie pulled up, we all got out of the car. Carlisle appeared at the door a few seconds later.

"What is it?" he asked. There was something different about his voice. He sounded... worried.

"Alice saw others coming. I think we should all go investigate while you explain some things to Bella," said Edward.

"Explain what?"

"She knows," was all Edward said.

Esme slid past Edward and joined the group next to the Volvo.

"Bella, if you go with Carlisle he'll explain everything," said Alice.

I nodded and made my way to the porch.

"We'll be back later," said Edward. In the blink of an eye they were gone.

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	8. Chapter 8

**I have not updated this story since May 11th!! Holy crap! Wow...**

**Sorry! I hope some of you will still READ it. **

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"Carlisle," I said uncertainly. They had all left so... so quickly! I hadn't processed anything yet. I had no idea what had just happened.

He closed the distance between us quickly. "Bella, are you okay? Do you need to sit down? We have food and water inside. Are you thirsty?"

I shook my head.

He put his hand on the small of my back, and started to lead me inside. It didn't feel uncomfortable at all, just natural. After a few steps, he stopped. His cell phone was at his ear only a moment later.

"Edward?" he answered.

It didn't even seem like he waited for any response. He hung up, and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"Bella, would you mind?" He held out his arms. "I don't have time to explain right now, sorry." There was a note of urgency in his voice that I had never heard out of him before.

I nodded, a little unsure about what I had just agreed to.

Carlisle swept me into his arms, then started running. I was sure he was going faster than my poor old truck ever could. I didn't even have time to close my eyes before I was strapped into a black Mercedes, one of the only cars I could recognize. He swung out onto the lane that led to the house, and then hit the gas. I felt myself press against the back of my seat.

I took a deep breath. I didn't realize it, but I hadn't been breathing. Things were happening so quickly, I couldn't think straight.

"What's going on?" I gasped. It seemed like five minutes ago I was going on an innocent trip to Seattle with a group of my friends. Then my sanity started its downward tailspin.

The best friends I had in Forks were vampires. There were other, _bad_ vampires in town. Carlisle threw me into a car and started driving the speed of light. I didn't know what could come next. I was just waiting for Carlisle to tell me that they could also fly, talk to fish, and leap tall buildings in a single bound.

"The other ones, the visitors, are hunting for you. Your scent was all over the others, and one of them, James is his name, decided to hunt you," explained Carlisle, keeping his eyes on the road. He was clenching his teeth, another thing I'd never seen from him. I had assumed that Carlisle was all compassion and niceness. I had no idea he had a different side to him.

"He's... hunting me?" I squeaked.

"Yes, Bella. We are going to try and get you as far away from him as possible. I am sorry we got you into this. Truly, truly sorry. If there was any way I could change the way it was, I would." He was getting more distraught by the minute.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Somewhere away from here. Far, far away," Carlisle answered. "We'll go to Phoenix. James is smart enough to know that we'd never go anywhere you have ties to. That's why we'll do exactly that, just because he will not be looking there."

"I have to call Charlie. I have to tell him! Please, let me call him." Tears started to gather in the corners of my eyes.

He handed over his phone. This time, he was watching me carefully. I must have looked a wreck.

I was grateful when it clicked over to the machine. Charlie must have gone to the station, and I wouldn't have to talk to him in person.

"Dad, I... I can't stay with you anymore. I don't have any friends here, I miss mom, and seeing Seattle just made me miss Phoenix." I swallowed back a sob. "I've convinced the Cullens to take me home. I really had to do some arm twisting, so don't be angry at them. They want what's best for me, just like you do. I know mom isn't home... I know where the key is. Love you, Dad." I hung up the phone, the tears flowing freely by then.

Carlisle reached out and wiped a tear off of my cheek. "Sorry, Bella," he murmured.

I shook my head. "It's not your fault, not at all. I just attract bad things, that's all."

"Hmm..." hummed Carlisle.

"What?" I asked, wiping the remainder of the tears away.

"Well, you said you attract bad things. My feelings aren't made of steel, Bella," he said, smiling wryly.

"Oh, no! I didn't mean you! But... wait, I attract you?" I asked incredulously.

He looked out his side window. He didn't answer.

It seemed impossible. Carlisle was very attractive. He had a certain brooding, old-fashioned movie star look about him. He didn't even look that much older than me...

"I feel... ridiculous. Yes, Bella, I am attracted you," he finally answered.

"Why would that make you feel ridiculous?"

He sighed. "I'm technically twenty-three, Bella. That's six years older than you. I know that's younger than what you thought I was, but still."

"You're... you're only twenty-three?" That changed quite a bit, in my mind. Sure, I only thought he was a few years older than that, but it seemed like a lot.

"Technically, yes."

"You keep saying technically. What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm older than that if you count real years... but I don't," he added quickly.

It was a little funny to see Carlisle acting the way he was. I never would of thought of him in the situation he was now.

"Would it be terrible of me to tell you that I'm... attracted to you, too?" I asked. A blush crept its way to my cheeks.

"That wouldn't be terrible at all," said Carlisle. He was smiling slightly.

That made the blush on my cheeks even darker. I wasn't sure, but I thought that, just maybe, he was flirting.

He seemed a little bit more relaxed. He jaw was unclenched, his posture relaxed. His hands weren't clutched around the steering wheel as tightly. It was then, while I was looking the wheel, I noticed his left hand.

"Where's your wedding ring?" I said it before I thought about it, and I winced right after. It was probably a touchy subject for him.

"I'm..." He cleared his throat. "I'm not married anymore."

I mentally smacked myself in the head. "I'm so sorry, Carlisle. I didn't mean to bring it up."

He smiled. "It's okay, Bella. It was time for that part of my life to be over. It's just hard to get used to. I'll be fine, don't worry."

"Okay." I still felt bad.

"So it seems like the cat's out of the bag," said Carlisle, trying to change the subject. "We find each other attractive."

"Sorry?"

He laughed, but there was still something wrong. I couldn't help but feel terrible about his and Esme's divorce. I hoped I wasn't the reason they broke up.

But judging by the way Esme treated me earlier, I had a hunch I was, and that was the scary part.

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	9. Chapter 9

"So, after multiple protests from the Volturi, I left Italy and came to America," finished Carlisle. He had explained his entire history during our car ride. It was fascinating.

I looked at him, astonished. "You're serious?" I asked. He started at when he was changed into a vampire to how he met all of his family members..

He nodded. "Yes, yes I am."

I shook my head. "Well, that's much more exciting than my story."

He laughed. "I've just had quite a few more years of story than you have."

I opened my mouth to reply when the most horrific ripping sound cut me off. Without realizing what was going on, I was thrown from the car. Something as hard as iron caught me, and the air was knocked out of my lungs. I snapped my eyes shut.

"Bella!" I heard Carlisle call.

I opened my eyes to see another very pale, very handsome vampire. He grinned, and I could have sworn I heard him growl. He had long blond hair and red eyes. He was holding me in his arms, and we were standing next to Carlisle's _destroyed_ car.

Carlisle was being restrained by a red-headed woman and a dark-haired man. He looked absolutely distraught.

"Hello, Bella," sneered the one holding me. I struggled to get away, but he just held me tighter. "This really was _way _too easy."

Carlisle growled. "Let her go."

The one holding me, James, I assumed, laughed. "No!" He grabbed on of my wrists and ran his nose along the length of my arm.

"Just do it!" yelled the woman.

James smiled, and I couldn't think of anything more evil. He squeezed my wrist and I heard a snap. I screamed in pain.

"Stop!" yelled Carlisle. The woman and the man restraining him had to change their grip. Carlisle was trying desperatly to escape.

"Stop what?" asked James, examining my other arm. "This?" He grabbed my forearm and actually broke the bone in half.

I writhed in pain, and a wave of nausea swept over me. My empty stomach heaved.

James chuckled.

Before another word was spoken, there was a very loud roar. In a matter of seconds, the rest of the Cullen family was standing on the road. I felt a sharp pain on my neck before James dropped me. My head landed on the pavement with a loud thump, and I started to lose consciousness.

Carlisle was at my side in a matter of seconds, keeping me awake. He was more upset than I had ever seen him before. "Bella, I need you to breathe for me," he commanded.

I tried to do as he told, but I couldn't. It felt like my ribcage was caving in.

Behind him, I could make out the movements of a fight. There was a loud screeching and then a tearing noise. The Cullens were throwing things into the fire that started in Carlisle's car.

But even more distracting than the fire and the screeching was the unbelievable pain in my neck. I could feel my pulse beating in every bone of my body.

"Carlisle," I whimpered.

He bit his lip. "Bella, I'm so sorry."

I felt a hot tear run down my cheek. "My neck!" I screamed.

His cold, nimble fingers ran from my chin to my collarbone. They didn't do anything to soothe the flames.

He exhaled heavily. "It's too late," he whispered.

I didn't know what he meant, and I was finding it hard to care. I couldn't concentrate on anything except the agonizing, throbbing pain in my neck. It was spreading down the length of my spine. I shuddered.

"Jasper, Alice, stage it," commanded Carlisle. He probed around the base of my neck, and deciding it was safe enough, slid his arms under me.

"Stage what?" I croaked. I flinched afterwards. Talking was definitely not a good idea. My hand flew to my throat.

He cleared his throat. "Your death." By the way he said it, it didn't sound nearly as dire as it should have.

Before he could explain, I fainted in his arms.

I don't know exactly when I woke up. I drifted in and out of consciousness. The only thing that remained constant was the excruciating fire that seemed to consume my whole body. I had no idea what was going on. I knew that being dead was even preferable to the pain.

A few times, I could hear a voice through the fog. It was Carlisle, and he whispered soothingly in my ear. I couldn't figure out what he was saying, but the thought that he was there helped me a little bit.

I didn't know how much time had passed since the fire started, and it hurt to remember. The moments went by in a haze.

"Bella?" was the first thing that I could make out in what seemed like an eternity.

My throat, which had been of no use to me whatsoever since the fire began, actually started to feel a little less horrid.

"Carlisle?" I breathed.

"Yes! Yes, Bella. I'm right here!" he exclaimed.

I opened my eyes and found his face. The motion made my eyelids ache.

"Ow," I murmured.

He put his hand on my face. "Bella, there's something you have to know."

The pain was slowly getting more bearable. I knew that the hell I'd gone through was almost over. Still, it hurt to turn my head and look at him.

"What?" I whispered.

"Before I tell you, I need to let you know... If there was anyway I could have prevented it from happening, I would have done it," he explained.

"What is it?" I asked again, the strength in my voice rising. He was making me increasingly anxious, which, when it was pared with the irritating itch in the back of my throat, didn't make me feel all too pleasant.

He frowned, but continued. "When James bit you, his vampire venom made its way into your bloodstream. When a human is bit by a vampire and is left alive, the venom travels through the veins, slowly turning you into a vampire."

"I'm a... a vampire?" I gasped. The dry feeling in my throat started making me more and more aggravated. I felt a rumble deep in my chest.

"Yes, Bella. I'm so sorry," he replied.

At that point, I couldn't even listen. The irritating itch in my throat was turning into something much, much more.

I was thirsty.

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**I told you it would be another three months.**

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	10. Chapter 10

"Bella, stay calm," commanded Carlisle. He lifted me into a sitting position.

I clenched my jaw and made sure not to breathe.

"I am going to take you outside. Once we are out there, we are going to find you a nice, big animal, okay?" he said in a dulcet tone.

I didn't reply. I let him lead me out the back door and then into the forest. I couldn't think straight. I didn't know what was happening. I was thirsty, and that was the only thing I could focus on. I vaguely felt Carlisle's hand on my arm, but that was it.

And then I was hunting. I felt the wind through my hair, and somewhere far away, I heard some sort of animal, a bear maybe. In what seemed like seconds, I had the bear pinned down. I drained it of its blood quickly, before it knew what hit it.

As soon as I fed, I felt much better. I could think clearly and coherently... and that's when I started to get very, very anxious.

"I'm a _vampire_? What about my dad, my mom, school?" I asked, mere steps away from the recently deceased bear. It all hit me at once.

Carlisle took my hand. "Bella, come with me."

He pulled me behind him quickly, and I realized I didn't recognize where I was. It was only a minute before he led me into his house. He pointed to the couch and I sat down.

"Bella," he started reluctantly. "I am so very sorry about what has happened to you."

"What exactly happened to me?" I asked slowly.

"You were bitten by James, which turned you into a vampire. We had to stage your death... and we will be leaving Forks as soon as it has been long enough," he said. He sat next to me.

I shook my head. "But... but what will happen to Charlie?" I asked quietly.

"Alice went over to your house soon after we defeated James and told him that you and I had died in a car crash. Remember, you called and told him you were on your way to Phoenix, so he blames himself... We've been watching him for the last three days, while you were changing, and he hasn't done much. He just sits. He doesn't watch television, go to work, and he hardly eats," admitted Carlisle. At least he was honest.

"Has he told my mom?" I whispered.

Carlisle nodded. "He called her just after Alice told him. She was distraught, and is flying in for your funeral tomorrow."

"My funeral?"

"Because the car was burned, there were no bodies for them to find... and also because we weren't _in_ the car, of course. There will be an empty coffin."

"I need to see him," I said.

"Bella, you're not ready. The smell of Charlie's blood will be too much for you," said Carlisle.

"No, Carlisle. I have to see him. It's my fault that he feels horrid!" I exclaimed, my voice growing in intensity with each word. "I will not talk to him. I just need to see."

He sighed. "If you go, Edward, Emmett, and I will go, also. If you lose control, we will be there to help you.

I looked down at my lap. "Thanks, Carlisle. Can I go tomorrow, so I can see my mom, too?"

He nodded.

Edward came down the stairs a second later. "Bella, I'm so glad you're okay," he said. He was grinning.

"Yeah," I said, smiling slightly.

Once he looked at Carlisle, however, he didn't seem too happy. "Carlisle..." he murmured.

Carlisle nodded. "We agreed upon it in the car."

"How could you?" said Edward quietly, anger in his every word.

"You knew it was coming," insisted Carlisle.

"But I didn't know the feeling was mutual," said Edward sharply. He looked at me for a moment and then swept out of the room.

I frowned. "What was that all about?"

"You know how Alice can see the future? Well, Edward also has a power. He can read minds, and apparently he heard something from me that he didn't really want to hear," he admitted.

"Like what?" I asked.

"Well," he laughed. "I'm sure you can guess."

Before I _could_ guess, Emmett flew down the stairs and started hooking things up to the TV. "I'm here right now, so please don't do anything gross," he said quickly.

"Like what?" asked Carlisle, just like I had seconds before.

Emmett turned around and gave him a long, skeptical look before playing attention to the TV again. A second later, a screen for Mario Kart came on. He sat on the ground, a video game controller in his hand.

"Well, I have to go speak with Esme, anyway," he said. He got up, kissed my hand, and then left the room.

"Eww, like that," he muttered. A moment later he yelled, "Jasper, I'm not going to wait all day to kick your butt!"

Jasper started down the stairs very, _very_ slowly. "Well, I think I can wait all day to get my butt kicked, thank you," he said.

Emmett glared. "Fine, then you can't have Bowser!"

Jasper was sitting next to Emmett in less than a second. "I always get Bowser," he muttered.

By the end of one race, I was cracking up. I had never seen anyone take a video game so seriously, especially one that involved anything named Bowser.

"Emmett, you are a cheater!" exclaimed Jasper, furiously pressing buttons on his controller.

"I tell you every single time, Jasper! I just happen to know where all the shortcuts are. They're _there_, which means you can _totally_ use them, which means I'm _not_ cheating! You're just mad because you don't know where they are!"

"Jasper, will you come tell me if this dress looks okay on me?" called Alice.

"Not right now!" he snapped. "I have to beat Emmett."

"Emmett, will you come tell me this dress looks wonderful on me?" called Rosalie right after Alice. Apparently she already _knew_ she looked wonderful, she just wanted someone to tell her so.

"Can't! Winning!" replied Emmett shortly.

In the end, Emmett was the one who won.

"Yeah!" he yelled. He threw his controller on the ground, successfully breaking it into a million pieces. "I told you so!" he sang.

Jasper got up slowly and looked at Emmett.

"Aw, no fair!" cried Emmett. "You can't make me feel sad right now! It ruins my gloating."

Jasper cocked an eyebrow and walked out of the room.

"Damn," sighed Emmett, sitting next to me on the couch. "I hate it when he does that."

"Does what?" I asked.

"Well, I always win," answered Emmett. He didn't elaborate.

"And?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"Well, he doesn't like that, so he _spoils it like an immature baby_!" yelled Emmett, making sure Jasper could hear.

"I'm not the one who plays with Princess Peach!" retorted Jasper.

"See?" sighed Emmett. "I never get to have any fun."

"Because playing Mario Kart is not considered fun," I laughed.

And then Emmett looked at me with no sign of humor on his face and said, "Mario Kart isn't a game, Bella. It's serious."

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**He really does just love that game in all of my stories... **

**It's just so Emmett-y.**


	11. Chapter 11

True to his word, Carlisle let me go to my own burial the following morning. It was drizzling, and there was a crowd of more people than I _knew_ standing next to the empty casket... though, I could hardly focus. The smell of all the people standing so close together was absolutely maddening. I was grateful for Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle's presence. I didn't know what I would do if I accidentally slipped and killed someone at a funeral...

I held my breath, and watched the people interact. Charlie had his head in his hands. He had Billy on one side and Harry Clearwater on the other. It looked almost as if they were protecting him from the other guests. Someone I didn't know tried to give him comfort, but Billy shooed them away. I felt terrible. I was the reason that my father was in so much pain... it was all my fault.

Jessica and Mike were there, along with Angela, Ben, and Eric. I never talked to them much during school. I was too busy spending time with the Cullens during school hours. But, despite the short amount of time I spent with them, Jessica and Angela were crying. I wanted to do the same. Even people I hadn't talked to much were crying.

Apart from the group was Renee. She had Phil by her side, and she did nothing but stare at the coffin. I could see her bottom lip tremble, and Phil squeezed her hand. I bit my lip... maybe I didn't want to see my burial.

Carlisle put his hand on my back. "You're okay, Bella." I could also tell that his hand was there to restrain me. All the humans there, with the blood pulsing through their veins, was tempting... I was struggling with all of my being not to jump from the tree and into the group.

"Don't touch her like that," murmured Edward.

Carlisle looked at Edward, a fierceness in his eyes that I had never seen before. "Edward, we are not going to do this right now," he said sharply.

"Why not?" asked Edward. "I think right now is a perfect time!"

Renee looked up and glanced towards the trees we were watching from. Edward was being too loud.

"You think Bella's burial is a perfect time?" asked Carlisle incredulously.

Edward scowled. "We will talk about it."

"Of that I have no doubt, but save it until we can do it privately," warned Carlisle. I knew that if I were human, my face would be bright red.

"Way to make things awkward," said Emmett. "Just know that I will never argue for your affection, Bella." He laughed loudly, which made Renee look over again.

"You guys, please be quiet," I managed to whisper without taking too big of a breath.

Edward sighed, Carlisle shook his head, and Emmett started drawing pictures of the family in the dirt.

When they finally lowered the coffin into the grave, people started to leave. After ten minutes, it was just Renee, Charlie, and Phil.

"Go, Phil," murmured Renee. I was glad I could hear her voice.

He nodded. "I'll leave you the keys and walk to the motel." He kissed her on the cheek, handed her the keys, and then jogged away.

"I'm so happy you could make it," whispered Charlie, his voice gravelly.

"Of course I made it," she snapped.

It was silent then, and both of them looked at the newly filled grave.

"I... I'm sorry I let her go, Renee," said Charlie, his voice cracking.

"No, Charlie. It is not your fault," she replied, looking at her feet.

"Renee?" he breathed.

She looked up and saw his outstretched arms. She stumbled forward and he caught her. She let the tears she had been holding go in into his shoulder. He stood there, like the brave man he was, and let her cry. He rubbed her back, and held her for a few minutes after she stopped crying.

Carlisle held my hand when he saw me struggling not to cry... I knew there would be no tears, but it would feel like a release all the same. But I knew crying also involved breathing... which was something I couldn't do at that point.

She stepped away abruptly and turned her back when she realized what it must have looked like. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"Yeah," muttered Charlie. "I... I need to leave now," he said. He took one last, lingering look at the grave, and shuffled to the cruiser. When the door slammed and the engine roared, Renee looked towards the trees again.

"Let's go," said Carlisle, pulling on my hand.

"No, we're climbing," I said. I knew it was a terrible idea, but I wanted to stay close to Renee. I was always the one to protect her, and I wouldn't do very well at protecting her when she was out of sight. Quickly, we climbed high enough where Renee wouldn't see us.

She approached carefully, almost like she was frightened. I knew that it would be better if we ran away, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Seeing Renee up close was a blessing I didn't think I was going to have. She stopped at the edge of the trees and took a deep breath. I bit my lip again and reminded myself not to breathe.

Emmett and Edward were watching Renee carefully to see whether or not we would have to run away. Carlisle had his eyes fixed on me. I knew he couldn't say anything with Renee so close, but I knew what he was trying to say... he wanted to know if I was okay. I nodded and looked back at Renee.

She glanced around slowly and hugged her purse to her chest. When she looked down, however, she saw something that made her pause. There, fresh in the dirt, were the pictures that Emmett had drawn of the family. He looked at Carlisle, his eyes wide.

Renee bent down and looked at them even more closely. Carlisle shook his head, and Edward glared at Emmett.

There was a picture of Emmett and Rosalie together, a picture of Jasper and Alice together, a picture of Edward, a picture of Esme, and a picture of Carlisle and I together. He had even labeled them...

"Carlisle died, too," she whispered. She stood up quickly and brushed the hair out of her face. I could hear her heart beat faster and faster. She was standing there, thinking very hard about something. Finally, after the longest minute of my life, she spoke.

"Bella?" she called in a raspy voice. "Bella, honey, are you here?" I could see the tears for in her eyes.

I wanted nothing more than to call out at her. Emmett was the one who acted. Faster than I thought possible, he flung his hand over my mouth. "Don't say a word," he mouthed.

"Bella..." she whispered. "Please."

She knelt down once again, and pulled something out of her purse... it was a camera. She took a picture of the drawings, stood up, and walked slowly out of the trees. When she was out of hearing distance, all hell broke loose.

"What were you _thinking_?" gasped Edward. "Why in the world would you draw something like that?"

Emmett took his hand from my mouth and slipped out of the tree. He quickly kicked dirt over his drawings. "I was going to destroy them, but then we had to go and it was all busy and I didn't know what to do!" he exclaimed. "I just didn't know!"

Carlisle jumped from the tree and landed next to Emmett. "I know it was an accident, but really, Emmett... you should know better."

Without another word, Carlisle took my hand and we ran to the house. Edward and Emmett were right behind us, arguing the whole way home. When we opened the front door, I could have sworn that they were going to have a fight.

"It was _just a picture_!" exclaimed Emmett. "You can't just leave me without something to do!"

"So now it's my fault?" asked Edward, fuming.

"Edward, Emmett, stop this right now!" said Carlisle. "We don't need arguing, okay? It was an accident, and that's all that matters."

"It probably won't come to anything, anyway," I assured them.

I knew I was wrong the second the doorbell rang.

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**:) Would you care to review?**


	12. Chapter 12

Carlisle grabbed a hold of my arm. "Edward," he murmured.

Edward nodded. "I've got her. You tell Esme, and quickly." He took me from Carlisle and all but carried me up the stairs.

I could smell whoever was at the door very, very clearly. It was a familiar scent, just magnified. It was much stronger than I had anticipated, and I closed my eyes. I didn't know who was at the door, but they would be thankful for Edward if they knew that he was the only thing keeping me from killing. My throat burned, and I struggled to get out of Edward's grasp. I was going mad with the thirst, the absolute yearning for the human's blood.

Mere seconds later, Edward had me locked in his bedroom, and I knew I had no chance of escaping. If I tried, Edward would most definitely catch me before I even got to the door.

"Edward, it hurts!" I exclaimed. No matter how recently I fed, human blood set my throat on fire. My eyes flicked from the door to his face.

"Bella, I cannot let you go. That is your _mother_ down there," he insisted, his voice hushed. He pushed me onto the couch and kept his hand wrapped tightly around my arm.

I closed my eyes and sat very still. I didn't dare take a single breath. It was hard to think of anything besides the awful dry feeling in me mouth, but what Edward said certainly did it. I was thirsting for my own mother! Talk about twisted... I would never get used to it.

"Renee is down there?" I asked with my last bit of oxygen.

Edward nodded. "She found Emmett's little drawings and decided she wanted to ask us about them," he growled.

I frowned and listened to what was going on downstairs. Esme was the one to answer the door.

"Hello, Renee," she greeted quietly, kindly.

"Hello..." replied Renee. It was silent for a moment.

"She's holding a camera," murmured Edward, staring at the wall behind me. He was reading her mind.

"Would you like to come in?" suggested Esme. I assumed the answer was yes when the front door closed. "Have a seat. Can I get you anything?"

Edward frowned. "Renee's thought's are very erratic right now," he complained. "She is thinking about so many things..."

"Can you blame her?" I asked.

Edward shook his head.

"No, I'm fine... I actually came here to..." Renee paused for a moment. "I don't know how to phrase this," she admitted.

"Why don't you just tell me what it is that you are thinking?" suggested Esme.

I heard Renee rummage around her purse and then the beep of a camera. "I found these today, after the... the..." She paused while she held in a sob.

Before Esme could say anything, I heard Emmett clear his throat.

"What is he doing?" I asked quickly.

"He is just going to tell the truth," answered Edward.

"Mom, I know who made the drawings. It was me. I went to the funeral today, but I didn't want to show my face. I thought people would be mad at me because I... I'm part of the reason they're dead. I'm sorry," he muttered.

It was silent for a moment. Edward was studying my face closely.

"If you wanted to go to the funeral, you would have been more than welcome," whispered Renee. "I'm sure she... would have wanted you there. I think I need to go now," said Renee quickly.

Esme opened the door for her. "Please, do not hesitate to visit again," she said cordially.

"Goodbye," said Renee. I could hear her footsteps running across the porch and to her car.

"You know, Emmett is telling the truth. He is sorry that you cannot be with your family anymore. He did do quite a lot of convincing to get you to go on that stupid trip with us, and he regrets it. I'm sorry, too, Bella," said Edward, looking into my eyes.

I shook my head. "Please don't feel sorry," I croaked. My throat was killing me. I was glad my mother was driving away from the house. I wouldn't put her in danger anymore if she were far away from me. But I was also devastated. I didn't know when I would be around her again, andI missed her terribly.

"But I am sorry," he insisted. He put his hand on my cheek. "You deserve better than this life."

I looked down at my lap. "At least I'm not dead."

Edward tilted my chin so I could look into his eyes. Something flashed in them quickly. He kept his hand on my cheek. We didn't speak.

Before I could talk, the door swung open.

"Thank you for taking Bella, Edward." It was Carlisle.

Edward frowned, but didn't take his hand off of my face. "It was my pleasure," he said curtly. He stood and offered me his hand. I took it.

"Bella, Esme wanted a word with you," said Carlisle.

I nodded. I had some questions to ask her, too.

I found her in the kitchen. "Hi, Esme," I said quietly. I still didn't think she liked me very much at all... I didn't like thinking that I was the reason for their divorce.

Esme kept her back to me. She was preparing something on the counter, which confused me because nobody in the family ate food. "Hello, Bella."

"How did she look? Was it awful? Was she crying? Did she look too sad?" I asked quickly. I stopped abruptly, and would have been blushing if I could.

Esme turned around and leaned against the counter. "She didn't look good, Bella, and I'm so, so sorry for that."

I frowned. Everyone was saying sorry... I didn't like it. It was _my_ fault.

"And I'm also sorry that I've been so cold to you. You don't deserve it, and I don't like acting that way. I feel terrible." She took a deep breath. "I hope you forgive me."

I smiled. I had been wanting to be friends with Esme since the beginning. I had thought that she was the one who wanted nothing to do with me.

"Of course I do!" I exclaimed.

Before we could talk anymore, the sound of a slamming door echoed through the house. "You're being completely unreasonable!" exclaimed Edward. He stormed down the stairs and out the front door.

Esme looked at me. "Someone's _quite_ popular around here," she said, grinning.

I put my face in my hands. The family was breaking apart and it was all my fault.


	13. Chapter 13

**Woah... it's been YEARS, guys. YEARS! But I've got the itch, and I've got the time, so here we go again.**

* * *

I glanced at Esme to see her reaction. She smiled thinly and left the room. I frowned, but went with Carlisle.

Once we were in his office, he shut the door. "Carlisle, I feel guilty," I admitted.

He sat down in one of the ornate armchairs, and gestured to the one in front of him. I sat down, suddenly feeling a little awkward.

"You need to know that what happened between Esme and I was completely unavoidable. Alice sees into the future, you know that. Before you even came to town, Alice had a vision. She saw Esme with another man, and she seemed happier than she's ever been before," explained Carlisle.

"But, she isn't with anyone else right now," I said, leaning forward in my chair.

"I know that. But when Alice told me, I got upset. Very upset. I wasn't mad at Esme, but I was mad that someone else could make her happier than I could. Esme didn't put any thought into the vision, and insisted that she wouldn't ever leave me. I tried to ignore it, but the thought would always haunt me in the back of my head. It crept into my thoughts every second, and there was no escape. Being with her felt like a lie," he sighed.

I sat quietly, waiting for him to speak again. He looked at me and smiled sadly. "All I wanted was for her to be happy. I knew that if I wanted that, then I was going to have to let her go. When I told her how I felt, she was angry. She didn't put any faith in Alice's vision. She said she was as happy as she could possibly be with me, and that was the end of it. I insisted that the best thing for her would be to end it, and Esme was furious for some time."

"But then what did Alice see during that first night at the hospital?" I asked.

"Well, it had been a couple months since Alice had seen what would happen with Esme. The family was frustrated that I had just called it quits without trying to solve it. But they just didn't understand! I love Esme, I do. And all I want is what is makes her the happiest. If that meant that I didn't get to be with her anymore, so be it. I thought I was doomed to a life of solitary," he laughed.

"But then you came into the hospital. I can't really describe what happened to me that night. You were semi-conscious, do you know that? After your father left, you began talking about how you left your mother for her own good. You talked about how you only want the best for her. I thought that was so interesting, that you would put others before yourself in such a huge fashion. What Alice saw was us kissing," he smiled and looked at one of the pictures on the wall. He almost seemed embarrassed.

I couldn't help but smile, too. "But, if everyone knew that, why did Edward decide to go to the dance with me?"

Carlisle frowned at the mention of Edward's name. "It didn't take me long to convince Alice that Esme would be better off without me. Alice saw how happy Esme was with this new person in her life. The others, however, still didn't love the idea. I cannot blame them. Their world had been relatively unchanged for a long time, and this shook everything up. When Alice decided that I was also happiest with you, she decided that she was just going to accept it. Eventually the others agreed, and that's when they began to speak to you.

"I don't think Edward planned on admiring you, Bella. He may have known in his head that Alice's vision would most likely become a reality, but his heart wanted otherwise. I honestly cannot blame him."

I frowned. "I didn't mean to do that."

Carlisle laughed. "Bella, I don't think you have to try."

If I could have blushed, I would have. I stood up and looked at the paintings on the wall, eager to talk about anything that wasn't me. There was one of four men standing on a balcony, overlooking a town of beautiful old buildings.

Carlisle stood beside me. "That's Italy. Long ago, I used to live there with other vampires. They are not exactly like us. They prey on humans. They keep our existence a secret from the rest of the world. I do not agree with their methods, but I must admit that they are effective."

"What are their methods?" I asked.

Carlisle frowned. "They destroy anyone who might expose their secrets."

I shuddered and wondered what kind of world I had inadvertently become a part of.

Carlisle took my hand. "You do not need to worry about them, Bella. They never come out this way, and even if they did, we have nothing to hide."

I nodded, a little distracted by my hand in his. Even this little bit of contact was electric. He was so close.

"Bella?" whispered Carlisle. I looked up into his eyes. He smiled shyly. "I don't want to be inappropriate, but I want to kiss you right now."

I grinned and he took that as consent. Slowly, he lowered his lips towards mine. He paused right before we touched, as if to make sure I was absolutely okay. The anticipation was unbearable, and I closed the gap. As soon as we kissed, my body was on fire. It started slowly, innocently enough. My arms found their way behind his neck, pulling him closer. His hands were on my hips. I wanted more. He pulled me even closer, and I shivered and deepened the kiss.

"Bella," he breathed. I kissed him again. I didn't want it to stop.

"Bella," he said, a little more firmly this time. I stopped and hoped desperately I hadn't done anything wrong. He took a deep breath, but didn't move away. His hands were still on my hips; my arms were still around his neck. "Bella, I think we need to take this slowly. A lot of things have happened to you lately, and we have all the time in the world. We don't need to rush into this."

I nodded and put my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me. "I'm just confused," I whispered.

"I know, Bella," said Carlisle. "And I'm so sorry about everything."

I shook my head. "Don't be sorry about anything."

Despite everything that had happened, I didn't want Carlisle to blame himself one bit. I didn't want him to be unhappy, not for a second.

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**A review might be nice, even though, you know... YEARS.**


	14. Chapter 14

**See, I knew I wouldn't keep you waiting this time! The first half of this chapter is in Renee's point of view. The second half is in Bella's. Enjoy!**

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**RENEE**

I looked at the picture I had taken over and over again. I just didn't feel right about it. I had only known the Cullens for a short time, but there was something off-putting about them. I just knew that something wasn't right.

"So, they were driving to Seattle so Bella could go to a _dance_?" I asked Charlie. It was after I had shown the Cullens the picture I had found in the dirt, and even though the big one said he did it, I was still a little confused. Why was Bella holding hands with the doctor? Why was he even in the car in the first place?

"Yeah, one of the kids, Edward, asked her to go," replied Charlie. We were in the kitchen. He was sitting at the table, staring out the window. He hadn't eaten much.

In the picture, Bella wasn't holding hands with the one named Edward. Something wasn't right. For some reason, I just knew that there was more than met the eye here. This simple picture didn't make any sense to me.

I sat in the chair next to Charlie and took his hand. I needed him to answer my questions, and I needed him to focus. "Charlie, please tell me about that family," I asked. It came out a little more desperate than I meant it to, but there was hope budding in my head. I knew I shouldn't let it, but what else was I supposed to do? What if there was a chance that my Bella was alive? They never even found a body!

Charlie cleared his throat and his hand tightened around mine. "They're different. They're good people, but they're different. Esme and Carlisle had just gotten a divorce, before he… you know. Bella was new, and they made an effort to be her friend. Good people," he muttered before he stopped speaking again.

The doorbell rang and I got up to get it. Phil was still at the hotel. I told him I would rather talk to Charlie alone.

At the door was Billy Black. "Harry gave me some fish fry to drop by," said Billy quietly.

I nodded and invited him in. Billy gave it to Charlie, and I heard them exchange a few quiet words. A moment later, Billy returned. I hesitated before I asked him the same question I did Charlie.

"Billy, can you tell me anything about the Cullens?"

He frowned and seemed angry. "Renee, I do not like those… _people_," he almost seemed to snarl. "If I were you, I wouldn't go poking around there. They seem nice, but they are much different than we are. Just forget about them."

I nodded, unsure of what to say next. I didn't expect such a hatred for the Cullens. From what I had heard, they never got in anybody's way. This reaction was new, and it made me even more curious. Why did everyone think that the Cullens were different? I was going to figure it out.

I didn't let myself think about anything else. This mission I had set myself on distracted my from the sorrow. I knew I shouldn't let myself hope that maybe, just maybe, Bella wasn't dead. Maybe she was just being… held captive or something! A little better, anyway.

I showed Billy out and had made up my mind. I was going to go back there again, and I wasn't going to leave until I was satisfied.

"Charlie, there is food in the fridge. Please don't forget to eat," I said as I closed the front door behind me.

**BELLA**

When the doorbell rang for the second time that day, Carlisle frowned. "Edward," he called.

Edward was down the stairs a moment later. "It's Renee, and she thinks that we are hiding something."

"And here we go!" exclaimed Emmett. He threw me over his shoulder and ran into his room upstairs. "I'm on Bella guard duty, because I'm the strongest, you know."

"I have heard that about you," I murmured.

A moment later, Carlisle joined us. Technically, he was dead too. And I'm sure if Renee thought something strange was happening, seeing a corpse greet her at the door would not help the situation.

Edward answered the door, and I could hear everything happening downstairs. "Renee, it's nice to see you again. Please, come in."

"Thank you. I just have some questions that I need to ask because it just seems like a couple of things here don't make sense. I don't mean I'm blaming anyone, of course not. I'm just a little confused." That was Renee alright. A little scatterbrained.

"I'd be glad to answer any of your questions. Would you care for anything to drink? Please, sit down."

"No, no, that's okay. I just have that pict- oh!" she exclaimed. Suddenly, the smell of blood permeated the air. She must have cut herself while digging through her purse for something.

It turned out, it wasn't me that they had to be worried about.

"Jasper, no!" yelled Alice from the kitchen. In an instant, Emmett was gone. There was a crash downstairs, and I had no idea what was happening. Renee screamed and Jasper growled.

"Go!" shouted Edward. "Jasper, leave now!"

Carlisle was beside me, holding me back from the door. The blood wasn't even the main reason I wanted to go. I needed to see if everyone was alright. What if my mom had gotten hurt?

"Bella, no," said Carlisle quietly. "I can't let you go out there. You know why."

"What in the _hell_ just happened?" shouted Renee. "I should have known that Billy was right. What is wrong with you people?"

Nobody downstairs said a word. I could only imagine what was going through Renee's head. A simple paper cut had thrown her whole world upside down. I didn't even know how scary that must have been, to see someone lunging at you, thirst in their eyes.

"Tell me what is going on right now! My husband is the sheriff, and he could be here in an instant if I called! What just happened? All I did was get a paper cut!" She sounded hysterical.

"Renee, I need you to calm down," said Edward quietly.

"Don't you _dare_ tell me to calm down!" she yelled. "I just lost my daughter! Do you have any idea what that's like? And then I get here to this freak show, and I have half a mind to blame you monsters for murdering her!"

"We didn't murder her!" exclaimed Edward. "We saved her!"

"Oh no, how in the world did Bella get tangled up in a cult? She knows better than that! I thought I raised he to be a sel-"

Edward interrupted. "We are not a cult. We did not murder Bella. We saved her from being murdered."

Renee sighed, and in it you could hear all the tears that she had been holding back. "Where is she?" she whispered before breaking into quiet sobs.

I couldn't handle it. My mom was breaking apart and it was all my fault. I stopped struggling, and Carlisle took that as a sign to relax. I broke away easily, then, and ran down the stairs.

"Bella, no!" exclaimed Carlisle. He was too late. In seconds I was downstairs, in front of my mom.

She gasped. "Bella, I knew you were here! I knew you weren't gone, I could feel it!" She hugged my tightly. "But… you're so different. You're cold. What happened?" She stepped away and looked me up and down.

"Mom," I said, trying not to breathe. She smelled delicious and the thought made me sick. "I'm a vampire."

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**Dun, dun, dun! Review?**


	15. Chapter 15

**This chapter is divided into three parts. I hope you enjoy!**

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**RENEE**

A few days later, on the plane home from Forks, I really tried to relax. Nothing in the world made sense anymore, it seemed. My little Bella had become something horrible. She was something that, for the majority of my life, I thought was just fiction. A horror story. My baby was a vampire.

I knew I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. They made that very clear. They said they were protecting _me_, but I knew they were just protecting themselves. They took Bella from her family, and I hated them for that. She had an entire life in front of her, and they stole it from her. I didn't know what to do about it, though.

After I left the Cullen house, I wasn't quite sure what to do or say to Phil. I remained a little distant, and I didn't have to act sad. She was not dead, but she wasn't alive either. In a way, she actually had been murdered. I guess Phil just assumed that I was acting strangely because he, like everyone else in the world, thought that Bella was dead.

When the plane landed in Phoenix, Phil drove us home. I didn't say anything, and he knew not to pry. When we got home, I immediately went to the computer. It was late, so I expected him to go to sleep as soon as he had the chance. I was distracted when he placed a warm cup of tea next to me.

I looked up at him and tried to smile. He kissed me on the forehead. "I'm here for you, babe. You know that."

I nodded and watched him walk into the bedroom. He really had been great during this entire situation. I knew I had picked the right man to spend my life with.

When the door closed, I searched everything I could about vampires. It was mostly just nonsense. I don't know what I expected, though. Vampires were something only seen in horror stories, made up creatures of the night. I don't know how long I was on the computer before I found a website that looked a little promising.

It was a log of sorts, where people entered where they thought they had an encounter with a vampire. There was an entry for an experience in Washington, an experience with a clan of vampires. It wasn't super detailed, and I knew it was probably just some kook, but I needed to know more, just in case.

My heart started to race. I needed to know what this experience entailed. There was an email address with the story, and I knew I needed to contact this person. I quickly composed an email, telling the person who I was and that I was curious to know more about what they witnessed in Washington. It was a long shot, but I needed to know all that I could about these people who took my daughter away from me.

**VOLTERRA**

I sat in the library, reading. Lately, I was not feeling much like going out and hunting with Heidi. I knew she wanted me to, but I had no interest in it. Something had happened a few months before, something that I couldn't explain. Someone's mind was calling out to mine, and I did not even think that they realized it. It was driving me mad, and I knew was that I was not acting like my usual self. I was the best tracker in the world, and at that point in time I couldn't even focus on a simple book, let alone hone in on the tenor of someone's mind.

A quiet beep interrupted my thought process. I frowned. I knew what that noise meant. I put my book back on its shelf and went to the computer humming in the corner. Aro thought we should begin to use modern technology to monitor the vampire world. I opened up the email and read it quickly.

You see, Aro thought it would be a brilliant idea to create a website listing fake experiences with actual vampire clans. It was buried deep in the internet, and any normal person who stumbled across it would have assumed that the experiences and the vampires were fake. However, there were a few people who knew that they were not, the people that truly _did_ encounter vampires and took to the internet to research. If anyone emailed the address listed on the website, we knew that they had an encounter with an actual vampire clan. And because of this, they had to be eliminated. They were a risk, and we were in the business of cutting risk, at any cost.

I had to hand it to Aro. It was a smart idea. I didn't like it, though. It seemed unfair, like cheating. We were trapping these people.

I sighed when I saw where I had to go. America. I didn't love it there. There was no class, no culture, and no history. Despite that, though, it would be good to get away from the rest of the guard for a while. Perhaps a break was all I needed to get my mind and my power functioning properly once again.

I told Aro what the email had said, and he sent me away that night. I knew I could go by myself. This Renee from Phoenix was going to be no problem. As I walked onto the jet, a thought struck me for the first time in my entire life. Was I doing the right thing? Right and wrong were never concerns for me before… something was happening to my head and I didn't like it. What was this conscience I was developing? Where did it come from?

I settled into my seat and closed my eyes. Hopefully, after this mission, I would be back to normal again.

**BELLA**

A few days after the incident with Renee, the tension in the air was still thick. Carlisle was a little irritated at me, I knew that. I knew that it was a terrible idea to tell Renee the truth, but I couldn't just let her be miserable when I knew I could make her feel at least a little better. Even though she didn't take the news very well at all, I hoped it was better than believing I was dead.

Alice was so worried about Jasper that it was hard to be in the same room as her sometimes. He was the newest to embrace the diet, apart from me. It seemed I was finding it much easier than he was, though. He didn't say much whenever he was around. Alice told us that he felt guilty and ashamed that he couldn't control himself. I tried to tell him that everything was fine, and that it was just good that nobody got hurt. He didn't listen.

The night that Renee left Forks to go back home, I was watching Emmett play a video game with Jasper. I knew it was to distract Jasper, and it seemed to be working.

"Okay, seriously. We're on the same team! Stop shooting me!" exclaimed Jasper.

Emmett shrugged. "You're not participating whole-heartedly, and I just feel like if you're angry you might play a little better. You're bringing down the team, dude!"

Jasper frowned and put his controller down. "I'm going to go for a walk."

Emmett looked at me, exasperated, as Jasper left the room. "That guy needs to seriously cheer up. I can't even play games with him anymore because I feel bad when I kick his ass. That's not how it's supposed to be! Kicking ass is the best thing in the world! I'm supposed to be psyched right now! Ugh!" He stomped upstairs, leaving me by myself on the couch.

I smiled. Emmett had such priorities in life. First, Rosalie. Second, ass-kicking. Third, everything else.

I was not alone for long, though. Just a few moments later, Edward came in and sat next to me. "Bella," he said matter-of-factly.

"Edward," I responded, equally as formal. I tried not to smile. I didn't know why he was being so serious.

"Alice had a vision. The Volturi knows that your mom is a human, and that she knows we exist. They sent someone after her."

I froze. The Volturi… Carlisle told me about them, about their methods. Renee was on their radar now, and it was my fault.

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